Above the Shadow
by Geal
Summary: The story of Shadow of the Colossus, but from the Colossus' views. contains spoilers for plot and colossus tactics. Part two of chapter six is up!
1. Chapter 1: Valus

Chapter One:

The giant beast sat there, his back to a sandstone wall; his eyes fading as he dreamt peacefully. His warm fur waving in the wind, brushing against his bits and pieces of stone armor. His bent legs led down into hooves, which twitched slightly as he slept. He felt a slight tremble on his shoulder, stirring his eyes back to light. He turned his head to see a small flock of birds resting on his shoulder. He lifted his immense hand and ever so slightly ran a finger along the top of the bird, petting it gently. The colossus looked up, realizing the sun had moved, causing him to be trapped in cold shade.

Something felt…different today. There was an odd presence in the valley, but the beast dismissed it as nothing. The ground shook as the colossus stood up, the birds flying off their perch and instead circled his head. The creature lifted up a large club forged out of stone; many intricate patterns had been masterfully carved into the weapon. The beast took a few steps forward through his small domain; it was no more than two large canyons connecting to each other. Through the opening in the canyon wall, the beast looked out on the entire valley. The tower that rested peacefully in the center had a strange beam of light emanating from it, piercing the nebulous clouds.

As the colossus continued his stride over to the other end of his canyon, a small creature climbed up from the opening in the canyon wall. The colossus looked at the small, unfamiliar being. It had only a small patch of red fur on the top of what appeared to be its head. The creature had on a strange set of armor; it looked as though it was made from different colored leaves. A wooden stick hung from his side, and he held another stick; this one bent, with a spider's web strung from the two ends. In the creature's hand was yet another small stick, this one resting both on the spider web and the bent stick. The colossus ignored the small creature, and continued walking towards the sunny end of his canyon, to continue his nap.

Suddenly, a small pain pierced the colossus' shoulder. The beast turned its head to see a small stick protruding from his shoulder. He looked down at the small being, who had another small twig loaded in his spider web. Another shot fired from the creature, and it latched and released two more arrows afterwards. The colossus twitched as the bolts buried themselves in his flesh.

_What is this creature? _The colossus thought to himself. This being, only as small as his palm, was trying to defeat him? The colossus leaned back, throwing his strength into his club and lifted it into the air, then began bringing it down, aiming at the small thing clad in leaves. The being looked up at the beast, then began running toward it very fast, hanging his stick and string over his shoulder, and pulled a piece of shining rock from the stick on his hip. The colossus' club smashed the ground hard, but the creature had outrun the blow. The ground shook violently and crumbled under the force of the blow, causing the small creature to stumble and fall to the ground.

The colossus laughed to himself at the weakness of this small being. This was no threat! This was merely some small bug. The colossus relaxed, no longer tense from fear. The colossus stomped the ground near the being to watch him stagger and trip. The colossus threw up his head and bellowed heartily at the fun this creature was providing him.

The beast looked down, but the being was gone. He looked around, searching for the small, unfamiliar creature, but found nothing. _It seems this...thing is faster than I thought..._ the colossus thinks to himself, and begins walking toward another end of his canyon. Suddenly, an immensely sharp pain struck through the colossus' left leg, causing him to stumble and curl over in agony. The great beast took another step, and another bolt of unbelievable pain launched through his entire being, causing him to fall. The colossus shot his hands in front of him to break his landing. He stayed on his hands and knees for a few moments before standing back on his hooves._ What...what is this thing?_

As the colossus regained his composure and balance, he felt something pulling on the hair along his back. _It must be the creature! Is he...no, how could he know? _The colossus began violently shaking his torso in an attempt of removing the alien menace. The beast stopped momentarily as the world spun around his dizziness. There was a moment of silence, then he felt pressure on his shoulder. He frantically shook his shoulders in an attempt to rid himself of the creature once and for all, but it was no good; he could still feel the being's grip on his fur.

The pulling fur crept closer and closer ever still to the top of his head, until it abruptly stopped. The pause seemed to drag on for hours to the terrified colossus, he wondered if the small intruder had fallen off. Then, without any warning, an unbelievable pain splintered its way through his skull. He shrieked in agony and threw his head back as a last desperate attempt to throw the creature off his head, but it was to no avail. Another wave of pain flowed through him, and he began to feel the world around him warping and darkening.

Then it was over.

One final blast of pain entered his head, and everything faded. The giant colossus fell to the ground, causing the rock to shake and crumble underneath the weight. The small creature climbed down the body of the fallen beast as the corpse began wrapping itself in darkness, strange tendrils emerging from the lifeless shell. The tendrils flew through the air and impaled the tiny victor, entering his body. The small creature took a step, then fell to the ground.

From atop a small hole in the cliffside, a smaller colossus, resembling a lion, watched teh entire scene unfold. He clawed the ground in disgust as the giant minotuar fell. _This...this can't be! _The colossus quickly turned around, and dashed back out of the canyon wall from where he came.

_Fifteen colossi remain._


	2. Chapter 2: Quadratus

Chapter Two:

The stone lion dashed through the twisting top of the canyon wall as it stretched through the sunlit rock. The path shallowed up into the top of the wall, then stopped abruptly. The colossus leapt from the top of the wall and over to the next effortlessly. A large colossus circled overhead, watching as the stone beast ran across the tops of the rock hills. The bird spiraled down until she met with the smaller colossus.

"What are you doing here! It's been decades since a colossus left their domain!" the bird said in a sharp, high-pitched voice, barely distinguishable from an eagle's screech.

The lion slid to a halt, then glared at the bird momentarily before explaining. "Valus has been slain, Avion" he said in a deep, rumbling voice resembling a roar.

Fear and shock swept across Avion's face. The bird immediately began questioning the lion colossus. "Cenobia, where did you learn this? Why did you leave your domain?"

"The bats and birds of my domain told me of a stranger in the valley, they described him as a wanderer. Haven't you sensed an odd presence in the valley as of late? I came to see if there truly was trouble brewing, but I arrived too late."

The eagle of a colossus closed her eyes as she contemplated the grim news. "This...Wanderer, do you think he is a threat to the others?

"I'm not sure, but we must inform them; I'll speak to the western colossi, you contact the eastern ones; they must know of this tragedy, so they can prepare to defend themselves. The Wanderer, he... he held a strange stone; it revealed Valus' sigil." Cenobia growled, the reverberations causing the rocks dotting the ground to tremble.

The giant bird let out a gasp of fear, "But that's not possible! How could this happen? Only...only Dormin knows of them."

Cenobia shook his head, "I don't know, but we must worry about it later, for now the others must know! Dormin's...Dormin's powers...they entered the Wanderer when Valus fell."

Avion nodded her head, then flapped her mighty wings, beating the ground with air as she took flight; clawing the ground with her claws. Just as Cenobia was about to dash off to inform the western colossi, he hesitated and called up to Avion, "You must inform Gaius, for his domain is too difficult for me to reach!" Avion nodded once more, then flew off into the dark clouds above.Cenobia clawed the ground, then dashed off to the west, leaping once more from the top of the sandstone hillside, landing heavily on the ground. The lion rushed his way past the mighty tower that broke through the sky, and under the bridge which seemed to have no end. He ran across a stone walkway stretching over a beach below. Cenobia ran along a path carved into the wall, shallowly spiraling along the side of the stone. The still sand seemed to shatter beneath his claws as he ripped his way across the beach toward a large stone wall built into a cave dug through the wall.

"Quadratus!" the lion roared loud and clear, causing the ground to shake. A low growl emanated from the cave.

"What is it?" the voice was very deep, and spoke its words very slowly, yet slurred its sounds and syllables together lazily. "I just awoke from my nap?"

"There is a stranger in the valley! This wanderer has already felled Valus, who knows which one of us he may attack next!" Cenobia called through the wall, seeing the faint form of the furry colossus through gaps and holes in the stones. The lion described the Wanderer's appearance and how e could sense sigils to the giant bull of a colossus.

There was a pause, then the ground shook as the colossus stood up on the inside of the cave. "Then let him come! I shall deal with him.." the beast said with gilded confidence.

Cenobia growled lowly to himself, then replied, "Fine, just don't be surprised if he shows up, and do not underestimate him!" The lion roared to the heavens, then quickly escaped to inform more colossi.

---

Quadratus paced back and forth in his cave impatiently, awaiting any form of event. He heard a strange noise from beyond the wall; it sounded like an animal, but none he had heard before. The noise almost sounded like a colossus, but less heavenly, like a bird or the wind. Quadratus turned is horned head to the stone wall, looking through one of the cracks. There were two beings on the other side of the wall; one riding on top of the other. The creature on top fit Cenobia's description perfectly. The other creature was covered in black fur, and resembled a colossus, but unbelievably smaller. Quadratus immediately knew this was the Wanderer, who had come to destroy him.

The immense bull backed up to the back of his cave, then charged forward with all his might, sending the wall toppling over in a pile of destruction. The bull roared and reared up on his hind legs, shaking the earth as he crashed down heavily. The Wanderer looked up in shock as the beast exploded from the hidden cave. The Wanderer dug the sides of his feet into the side of the black steed, which let out another strange call and dashed across the sand away from the colossus.

The colossus followed the Wanderer in hopes of crushing him under his mighty hoof. The Wanderer bent over, then carefully stood on top of the black animal. He once more held the stick and web in his hands, a stick notched in the weapon. The shaft flew through the air and ricocheted off the armor guarding the bull's face. The Wanderer notched another bolt into his stick, but was interrupted as the black animal jeered to the side to avoid a boulder protruding from the ground; causing the Wanderer to fall from the creature's back. Quadratus immediately saw this perfect opportunity, and reared up on his hind legs, sure of himself that the Wanderer would be crushed. As his torso began to descend, a sharp pain rocketed through his right leg. The bull roared in pain as his hoof bent to the side under the force of his weight.

He crouched over weakly, waiting for the pain to subside. After a few moments, feeling began flooding back into him, and he stood back up straight. The only trace of the Wanderer left was the black animal trotting around the sand. Quadratus looked around for the Wanderer, but soon felt the hairs along his side being pulled and tugged upon. The bull shook the girth of his body in an attempt to shake the Wanderer from his grip, but the tugging slowly worked its way down his pelt. Eventually, the pulling stopped at the very end of his back. Suddenly, the colossus remembered what Cenobia had told him about the Wanderer seeing sigils, but it was too late. Before Quadratus could even attempt to shake the Wanderer free, a sharp pain thundered through his entire being. The bull screamed in pain and bucked his hips up and down, but with every small pause in his motions, another wave of pain blistered through him.

Soon the strength from his hind legs drained away into nothing, and the sigil vanished. Quadratus could feel the Wanderer's feet treading quickly across the bull's body, climbing over the protrusions of stone and armor which dotted the beast's back. He shook his entire being with all his might, but the Wanderer never faulted or fell from the back of the bull. Quadratus froze with fear as the Wanderer stopped atop his head. Time froze, then more searing pain encased the bull's body. Shock after shock ripped the bull's consciousness apart as he flung his head around in a wild rage of fear and anger. With one last blast of pain, Quadratus collapsed to the ground in a heap of fur, stone, and blood. Darkness shrouded the bull as the world flew away from him, never to return.

_Fourteen Colossi Remain._


	3. Chapter 3: Gaius

Chapter Three:

Cenobia's claws lacerated the ground as he fled across the plains with all his might. The air rippled slightly around him as he charged onward, causing him to slide to a halt. He hesitated, feeling the air around him, then looked back behind him. _Quadratus has..._ The lion shook his head to try and clear his thoughts, then continued yet again, hugging the edge of a mighty gorge which drained into a great lake. His trek led him across a natural bridge and into a small thicket to the south, which opened up into a vast desert. To the southwest was a large sandstone wall. Cenobia noted to himself to check it next, but instead headed straight south, to speak with Phalanx.

Phalanx was by far the most secluded colossus; even in the rare occasions where a colossus would speak with another, he completely ignored any attempt at contact. It was this reason that Phalanx, the sky serpent of the sand, had chosen the domain of the desert. Cenobia was unsure if Phalanx would even acknowledge his presence, but he had to try.

Running across the desert slowed Cenobia; the sand made it difficult for him to run full speed. After clumsily sifting his way across the scorching wasteland, the lion crawled up on top of a small grouping of stone ruins. He bowed down, to show respect to Phalanx, should he be watching. With his snout to the ground, Cenobia hummed a low growl, the tremors shaking the earth. He continually raised the volume more and more, until the sands were shaking violently with each blast of sound. Large flocks of birds escaped from any nearby mountains containing greenery. Eventually the roar died out as Cenobia caught his breath, then waited for a reply.

Silence.

"Phalanx!" Cenobia roared with all his might. More birds trickled up from scattered trees across the plains.

Silence.

Cenobia was getting annoyed; he knew Phalanx was listening. "Fine, you want to ignore me, do so! But at least heed my words!" Cenobia roared toward the still sands. "There is a Wanderer slaying colossi, and eventually he will come for you too, already two colossi have fallen to his hidden strength!" A slight rumble shook the ground, but only for a moment. Cenobia knew that he had Phalanx's attention. The lion opened his mouth behind his stone face guard to speak once more, but was cut off by a faint voice emanating from beneath the sands.

"What happens to the colossi...is no concern of mine..." the voice spoke very slowly, yet was portrayed so clearly it would seem as if the speaker was right in front of Cenobia, not deep beneath the ground. "If this...Wanderer reaches my domain...he shall not be able to slay me...for I shall fly high above...and dig deep below him..."

Cenobia grunted at Phalanx's arrogance. "He his much trickier than you give him credit for!"

"And how...will he get upon my body to...slay me...? I doubt that...he can fly as high...as I can..."

"He will find a way if he must! Should you come across him, you mustn't underestimate him!" Cenobia was getting impatient with the stubborn colossus, and was on the verge of leaving. There was a long pause before Phalanx's voice rumbled once more from the ground.

"Should he find his way...upon my back... I shall fling him...from the sky...No beast...not even a colossus...could withstand a fall from such a height..."

"Fine! Keep your big head in the clouds, and hope it does not hurt when the Wanderer brings is crashing down!" Cenobia blasted from his muzzle, then dashed to the northwest, toward the sandstone mountain range.

—

Avion beat the air with her wings, gliding silently along the gusts of wind that swam through the sky. She craned her head down as she flew; below her a long bridge stretched from the central tower to far outside of the valley; below that was a sandy beach dug down into a deep trench. Her eyes surveyed the ground below her, until they caught a horrific sight. Dread engulfed her body, and she immediately folded her wings and dove down. She halted her descent as she neared the ground, and softly landed on the sands; the waves lightly dampening her talons.

Before her lay the limp corpse of Quadratus. The once mighty colossus lay completely still and lifeless, but no longer held its former appearance. The felled bull's body now resembled dirt; plants, moss, and grass sprouted from the body. It looked as though the colossus had lay there for hundreds of years. A pure white dove sat calmly on the body of the colossus, not stirring even when the mighty Avion plummeted from the heavens.

"Little one..." Avion addressed the dove, which looked up at the large colossus with wide eyes, as though surprised the beast had spoken, "have you seen the Wanderer...? He was the one who caused this." Before the dove could reply, a brown hawk swooped down and landed on Avion's shoulder.

"I have seen him." The hawk spoke in a shrill tone, his beak clacking with each word. "He seems to come from the central tower."

Avion thought for a second, then replied, "Could you follow him, please?"

The hawk nodded in response. "Of course."

Avion looked back to the dove, "And could you keep a watchful eye on the temple, maybe you can find something out." The dove agreed, then Avion bent over to take flight once more. "Be sure to get as many of our kind to help each of your causes as you can! This is no laughing matter, and we must handle it very carefully!" Then she took to the air, the ground falling away below her as she flew through the wind. The dove and the hawk looked at each other, then both flew off as well, leaving the ancient body of Quadratus to rest in peace.

—

Avion landed softly on a large disk of compressed dirt suspended on a tall pillar protruding from a lake. A large clump of fur and stone lay in a pile on the opposite edge of the platform, softly rising and falling.

"Gaius, wake up!" Avion squawked loudly. The pile of stone and fur rustled around, then a head rose up, and stared as the bird with bright eyes.

"Avion?" the colossus asked in a low, calm voice.

"I have come to warn you of a danger in these lands."

"Danger?" Gaius asked, choosing the simplest words possible.

"Yes, a Wanderer has come around seeking the power of Dormin. He has already eliminated two colossi, and who knows when the next will fall." Avion then reported Cenobia's description of the Wanderer.

Gaius lifted up a large stone weapon attacked to his right arm, then confidently said, "Thank you for warning. But Wander no challenge. Gaius' sword crush him." Avion was at unease at his level of confidence, but knew that she would be unable to easily persuade this simpleton. She bowed her large head, then took to the sky once more. Gaius bowed lazily back to her, then reclined once more, drifting off to sleep.

—

A strange feeling aroused Gaius from his slumber. There was something nearby... something in his domain...on his platform. _Wanderer! _He immediately thought to himself. With a great push of strength, Gaius rose to his stubby feet, revealing a large circular metal reflector; dust and dirt falling from his stone armor. He looked around with his large head, searching for the cause of the disturbance. At first he saw nothing, just his platform. After three or four rounds of his surveying, a small figure finally caught his eye. The figure fit the Wanderer's description perfectly, and Gaius gave the matter no second thought.

The great knight colossus walked toward the Wanderer, who gazed up in awe at the colossus' great size. Gaius paused, watching the Wanderer run around his feet. Summoning all his strength, Gaius hefted up his sword ans stabbed downward at the Wanderer, who rolled out of the way just before he was crushed. Gaius repeated this several more times, each time failing to hit the unbelievably quick Wanderer. The Wanderer dashed between Gaius' legs and ran toward the reflector.

Gaius was quickly growing tired of the Wanderer's antics, and decided to put an end to it. The knight turned to face the Wanderer, then heaved his sword high above his head, crashing it down toward the small figure standing on the metal disk. The Wanderer saw the colossus' attack, and fled toward the outer edge of the platform. Before realizing that his strike would miss, Gaius already had given the blow too much momentum, and his weapon struck the reflector with immense force. Pain splintered up his arm, and several chunks of his armor crumbled from the shock. Gaius recoiled from the pain, taking several steps back. After a few moments, feeling flowed back into his arm, replaced now with uncontrollable fury that surged through his body. The knight lifted his weapon into the air again, and slashed downward once more toward the Wanderer. The attack missed, but the shock caused the Wanderer to fall down momentarily. Gaius pulled back on the weapon, but found it had been thrust too deep in the dirt.

He strained with all his might until it dislodged from the ground. The knight looked around to try and find the Wanderer, but there was no longer any sign of the small creature. A slight tugging on his right arm caught his attention, but he ignored it as he continued his search for the Wanderer. The annoyance continued, and he shook his arm, causing it to stop momentarily. Gaius dismissed it and turned around. _Where wanderer go? _

His vision clouded as a wave of pain erupted from his stomach unlike anything the colossus had felt before. He screamed out in agony and bent over slightly. Another blast shocked the knight, who stumbled slightly under the pain. One last spike of pain flowed through his body for a split second, then his torso began losing all of its feeling. In a senseless panic, Gaius shook his body as much as he could, but in his weakened state, it came to little effect. The knight paused with horror as he felt the Wanderer scale the fur along his back, working his way up his neck until the Wanderer rested upon the top of Gaius' head.

Another blast of pain, much worse than the previous assaults, seared its way through the top of the knight's skull. Gaius screamed and pleaded for mercy, but wave after wave of the unbearable torture continued, each more excruciating than the last. He flung his head back and forth in all directions to try and remove the menace, but it was futile; the Wanderer held strong. The colossus impulsively moved his arms toward his head to try and scrape the Wanderer off, but could not reach. He was simply forced to flail his body hopelessly as the Wanderer painfully and slowly ripped and tore the life from him.

"Stop! Stop! Please! It is too much!" Gaius desperately screamed, but the Wanderer paid no heed. The shining stone drove itself into the colossus' skull for the final time, and Gaius collapsed on the ground in a mangled heap. "No... Please... I want..to...li..live..." but his pleas faded from the world as the knight slipped into eternal darkness.

_Thirteen colossi remain._


	4. Chapter 4: Phaedra

Chapter Four:

Another wave rippled through the air, causing Avion to flutter slightly, disturbing her flight. She landed on the large bridge which broke the land to concentrate, and regain her bearings. _This feeling...A third has fallen...When will this madness end? _She clacked her stone beak, then retook flight to the Northwest. Auburn sands and rock blurred together underneath her as she wafted through the sky.

She approached a large hole in the ground, gently descending through the layers of invisible sea. A small lake calmly rested at the bottom, opposite of a shrine dug into the canyon wall. The dirt and rocks remained unmoved for centuries, until the blast from Avion's wings disturbed their eternal sleep. The great bird landed softly, yet hardly on the canyon floor. She shuffled her stone and fur nervously, unsettled by the confinement of the walls.

"Celosia..." she chirped, a slight anxiety plaguing her voice. A low rumble came from the shrine before her as the face of a colossus much resembling Cenobia -save for two sharp horns protruding from the center- emerged.

"Avion..?" Celosia growled. "Have you come about the disturbances?"

"So you've felt them?" Avion seemed shocked by the colossus' knowledge of the current happenings.

"Of course, only a fool would ignore them." Celosia replied, shuffling the dirt from her armor. "You know of the cause?"

Avion nodded sullenly. "Yes, unfortunately I do." Celosia turned her head to the side, her eyes brightening with questions, but she held her tongue. Avion caught the colossus' confusion, and acted in turn. " The colossi are in danger...Three have been...killed."

Shocked and terror struck Celosia. Her fearful face was hidden by the mask, but her eyes spoke her grief and flame. "Killed! By whom? Which have been felled?" Questions flooded through her mind faster than a roaring river.

"Valus, Quadratus, and one other...I do not know who."

Silence struck Celosia as she wrapped her consciousness around the grave news bestowed upon her. Avion felt guilty for bringing this sadness upon Celosia. _This Wanderer has reigned much misfortune upon us...Why on earth is this happening? What have us colossi done to deserve such a fate? Perhaps...perhaps none of us will be able to stop this Wanderer...If we are unable to...then...then..._

"Who is the one responsible for this!" Celosia barked, a fierce fire in her voice. Avion jumped slightly at Celosia's outburst; she had sunk too deep down in her own mind, and had forgotten the world around her.

"It's a small creature, known as the Wanderer." Avion thus described the Wanderer, his mount, and their weapons. "I've sent the hawks to follow him, and the doves to watch over the center shrine, where he is most often seen coming from."

"Lord Avion! Lord Avion!" a petite voice rang from above. A tiny white shadow fluttered down the canyon, nearly invisible against the bright sky. The frail dove landed softly on Avion's shoulder, panting heavily.

"Calm down, calm down. What is the matter?" Avion asked, concern for the poor creature replacing her dark depression.

"Gaius...Gaius has fallen. His idol at the temple has been destroyed."

"The idol!" Celosia and Avion both cried in unison.

"Yes, they seem to be falling in an order. It's still hard to tell, but the next will be either Phaedra, or...or.." silence overcame the small creature, she was unable to utter her final, tragic words.

"Or...who?" Celosia asked, but the truth was already dawning on both her and Avion. The dove shuddered, her feathers ruffled and disturbed. Avion looked in sorrow at the poor creature. The pale bird shook uncontrollably with sorrow as she fought herself to wrench the words from her smooth beak.

"It does not matter." Avion said hurriedly. She could tell the dove was too stricken with guilt to force her words. "Phaedra must be warned immediately, I must speak with him. Will you go find Cenobia and inform him of this tragedy?"

"I will, Lord Avion." The dove said uneasily, yet with relief. Avion nodded to the dove, who took flight off into the endless air.

"Cenobia? My brother?" Celosia asked, trying to sound concerned.

"Yes, he was the first to sense the Wanderer, and witnessed Valus' death. He told me about this strife, and then went to inform the western colossi of the danger at hand."

"Humph" Celosia snorted. "I sensed the stranger first, I am closest after all. He always takes credit for these kind of things..." Celosia 's mood had suddenly darkened quite noticeably.

"Then, why did you not take action first?" Avion did not appreciate Celosia's disrespect for her brother.

The horned colossus growled offensively. "Can you not see the prison around you? How do you expect me to escape from this stronghold, exactly? At least Cenobia's shrine has an exit dug into it! But no! I am cursed to rot in this grave of mine called a domain!" Celosia clawed the ground angrily, scratching deep grooves into the finely carved stone under her.

A long silence hung in the air, Avion and Celosia both knew better than to push the other over the edge. Avion clacked her beak once she became impatient with the smaller colossus. "There are more important matters at hand, Phaedra must be warned." Avion paused, pushing herself to force her next words through her beak. "I wish you the best of luck." Celosia growled, then nodded her head. Avion buckled down, upturning the ground as she ascended back into the sky.

—

Cenobia's sharp claws clacked as he padded through yet another colossus' domain. A wave rippled through the air, stopping Cenobia in his tracks and shaking the dust from the untouched walls. Cenobia lowered his head, giving a small prayer to the fallen comrade, then continued on through the thinning darkness of the forgotten temple. The path led him to a balcony overlooking an incredibly large room, stretching far off into the distance, and descending hundreds of feet below him. Cenobia slowly approached the ledge, looking down as he contemplated the probability of his surviving the fall, and whether or not he could get back up. He quickly came to the conclusion that leaping down would be a fatal mistake. Cenobia pawed the ground, the pale scraping of his claws echoed through the emptiness before him, shattering the stale silence. The temple shook, movement emanating from the stone below Cenobia.

"Barba...is that you?" Cenobia asked cautiously.

"Aye...'dis be him." a gruff voice seeped from underneath the temple. "What bring ye to me domain?"

"There is a stranger in our valley...he has slain tw-...three colossi thus far." Cenobia began growing tired of the other colossi's doubts of his reports. He was beginning to wish he had never suggested his task; that he had simply returned to his domain to sleep soundly, like all the other colossi. Cenobia shook his head. _No, This must be done...our society depends on it._

"'Dis be grave news, indeed...and who be da perpetrator?" Barba's deep voice rumbled from his hidden chamber, tingling with concern.

"He is known as the Wanderer. He is clad in grass and wields sticks and stones."

"Sticks and stones? I am to fear this?" the gruff voice rang with confidence now.

Cenobia growled unpleasantly. "Quadratus said the same, yet he was the second to fall." Barba gave no reply, only cold, cold silence. "Fine, think as little of the Wanderer as you wish. I, however, know well enough to fear him."

"Cower before sticks and stones? 'De only thing I fear is your like of a spine. If 'dis is what da other colossi have been reduced to, then dey deserve what dey get!" Cenobia barked with fury, then turned around and took off, unable to handle his rage with yet another impossible colossus.

Cenobia's claws gouged the stones beneath him as he rampaged through the stone tunnels of Barba's domain. The bright sunlight blinded him as he charged into the open, but he kept his stride unbroken. _Yet another colossus takes my warning unheeded. Will none listen to my words? Will none prepare for their inevitable ends? _Cenobia sulked silently in anger to himself, shredding the earth harder and harder with each beat of his claws.

—

A third ripple disturbed the air, disturbing Phaedra's sleep once more. The large beast's eyes opened just in time to see a small black figure approaching. Phaedra growled in frustration. _ Is this what disturbed my sleep...? No matter! Whatever it is, it has invaded MY domain!_ The great colossus summoned his strength, standing up on all four of his thin legs. Dirt fell from between each of the large stone ribs protruding from his torso. Phaedra shook his head, his two long stalks of mane dangled back and forth freely. The Wanderer reared back on his steed, and raced off in the opposite direction.

After loosening his stiff joints, Phaedra slowly took chase after the intruder. The colossus had lost sight of the Wanderer, thick fog rolling into the small green valley of his domain. Phaedra continued on through his valley, reaching a large grassy clearing. Four hills protruded from the ground in the shape of a cross, each tiny shrine having a tunnel dug deep into the ground. The Wanderer rode up to the farthest one, dismounting his dark animal. The Wanderer gave the animal a hard smack, and it ran off, away from the colossus. The tiny being walked up to the top of the hill, then turned to face Phaedra. The colossus was nearing the intruder, carefully walking over each of the hills. Phaedra stomped the ground hard with each step, shaking the earth and skewering the crust. The wanderer stumbled as the ground shook violently, knocking him off the edge of the hill.

Phaedra lost sight of the Wanderer as he fell behind the shrine. The colossus stood over the hill, prepared to stomp his prey into dust. However, the intruder was no where to be seen. Confused, Phaedra surveyed the area around him, but the Wanderer was no where in sight. He stretched out his front legs, and bent his hind ones as he lowered his head to gaze inside the shrine. His sight failed him, as all he could see was dust and darkness. Phaedra stood up once again, and began turning around in the search for his prey. The Wanderer's dark animal galloped around the clearing, but the intruder himself was no where to be seen. _Fine...maybe he'll show himself if I attack his friend! _Phaedra followed the animal as it ran circles around the clearing. The colossus stomped the ground around the animal, causing it to trip and stumble around.

In his distraction, Phaedra failed to notice the pressure traveling across the back of his torso. After a moment of playing with the black animal, Phaedra craned his long neck in order to see what the cause of the disturbance was. His eyes turned red with fury at the sight of the Wanderer running across his back, silver stone held tightly in hand. The colossus shook and danced wildly, his rage burning uncontrollably. The wanderer dropped down and took a hold of the colossus' fur to keep from getting whipped off the beast's back. The black animal let out a cry of distress beneath Phaedra. The colossus looked furiously down at the annoying animal, stomping the ground in his blind rage.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot across the back of his neck. Phaedra let out a loud screech, lowering his head as the energy drained from his neck. He lifted his head back up as his energy began to restore. Just as he began to regain his bearings, His vision blurred as a new blast of pain erupted in the back of his skull. More screeches erupted from deep within his belly as yet another wave of agony shot down his entire being. Phaedra stomped the ground once more, but his force caused him to stumble, his weakened leg giving out to his weight. One last piercing shock in the back of his head spent his world spinning. The feeling of his body completely drained away -the shock of falling to the ground felt no stronger than a light tap -before disappearing completely as his world, his domain, his life drained slowly and painfully away into nothingness.

_Twelve Colossi Remain._

-Note from the Author-

Hello everyone! Thank you all for reading my story, _Above the Shadow_! Every four chapters, I'll post notes like this one to keep everyone updated on the story's status and how it's progressing. It's hard to believe the story's already a quarter finished, still seems like I've only just begun. I've spent a lot of time on it, and it has done a lot better than I ever thought it would have. Although I've had such a great pleasure of writing it, it was a lot harder than I expected it to be. I'm trying my best to give each of the colossi a distinct personality, so I hope I've been doing a good job. It was tough deciding how to go about having each of the colossi converse with each other, so I decided to have a main character who could easily travel to each of the other colossi, but couldn't be killed off too early, so I decided to settle with Cenobia and Avion. Coincidentally, these two are also my favorites in-game. For those of you who have played through the game, you all know who's coming up next. For those who haven't, I'll keep quiet. However, I'll just say it'll be a big plot point for both Cenobia and Avion. One of the toughest things about writing this is trying to stay true to the game. There have been parts I've left out, so if you notice a chapter is taken down momentarily, it's most likely because I'm editing it to make it as accurate as I can. Not much info is given about the colossi themselves, so I'll admit I've done a little improvision. Although, if someone doesn't like my view of the back story, they could just read the parts about the fall of each colossus. Reversly, I suppose if you didn't want to spoil the tactics for the game, one could just read the plot parts. Hopefully this gives the reader enough freedom so they won't be angry or disappointed with the story. Oh, and I'm sorry if there's been a lag in updates, been a lot of personal problems that have kept me from typing as much as I used to be able to, but hopefully everything will clear up soon. Well, I'd better get back to typing, see you all again in chapter 8!


	5. Chapter 5: Avion

Chapter 5:

Avion beat the sky mercilessly with her wings, each surge of her frame propelling her faster and faster above the endless ground. Another disturbance rippled through the air, prickling the hairs between her plates of armor. She sighed quietly to herself, the knowledge of another fallen colossus flooding her mind, possibly even the one she was headed to now. She felt guilty at the loss. Not towards her failure to warn the colossus, but rather her lack of feelings toward the beast's death. A being which had lived for hundreds of years --one of her own race, no less– had just been removed from the world through the worst way possible, yet she felt nothing. There was no remorse in her heart, no sorrow or sympathy ran through her ancient veins. Whenever a simple hawk would drown in her domain, she would mourn the loss and give tribute to the small animal. How could she be so heartless? The guilt bore into her, devouring her spirit.

She flapped her wings harder and harder, pulling her higher and higher into the air. Her thoughts blew circles through her mind like a hurricane. _Would my arrival really have made the difference? _She forced herself to try and feel sorry for the colossus, but could not bring herself to the simple task. She began to feel angry at herself; at her mind; at her heart; at her soul. A loud _thump _noise shook the air with every pound of her wings. She found it becoming more difficult not only the breath, but to fly. Her breath seemed to slip away from her with each gasp for life. The air drained from her, flooding the energy from her bones. She began to grow tired, but her rage pressed her on. _He would not have heeded my words...He would have faced the wanderer no matter my argument. His fate was inevitable...inevitable... _Her head grew light, lighter than she knew possible. She felt strange, she tried to flap her wings, but found them incredibly heavy. She felt a strange pressure on her eyes, as though they were being forced back into her skull. Her vision began to blur, she found herself no longer able to cognitively label what she was seeing. Her ears rang with pain as she forced her eyes to see once more, finding the feat unreachable. She felt weightless, as though she was landing. Clouds, land, and sky whirled around her, mixing into a great blur of color. Her lungs ached with emptiness, devoid of life. She felt as though there was no air around her, nothing to push her into the sky. And yet, her wings still felt heavier than the mountains themselves. Her muddled thoughts clouded together into a single, intangible memory; fading away as though they were merely a dream.

She felt resistance now, as the air resisted her once again. The oxygen trickled gently into her body, filling her lungs with trace amounts of life once more. Slowly she began to become aware of herself again. Her visual comprehension began to return, and the splitting ring in her ears dwindled down and away from her. She inhaled deeply, air now fully filling her body. The life began to distribute among her limbs, lifting the weights from her wings. She spread them out, feeling the resistance of the wind against her back. She was falling. The grave reality dawned quickly upon her now as her tangled thoughts unraveled into readable information. She flipped her body around, then pounded the air with all her might. Her vision clouded as she spun through the air, but her mind remained aware. She blindly flapped her wings, feeling the pull of gravity as it tried to chain her to the ground. The violent pull gently faded, and everything seemed normal.

She squinted her eyes tightly still, unsure if she had crashed to the ground or not. She opened her eyes fearfully, releasing a sigh of relief at the sight of the ground far below her. She relaxed her wings now, gently gliding along the warm currents as she reshuffled her thoughts into order. _Inevitable...our fate is inevitable. _She sulked now, depression filling in her guilt. _Is it possible...for us to survive this attack? Surely...surely one of us must live...and yet... _She shook her head to clear out her troubles.

Avion gazed upon the region below her; it looked alien to her usual domain. It soon dawned upon her that she had flown too far south, and had passed her own domain. She tilted her wings to change her flight direction, and a large crater in the top of a stone mountain caught her eye. _Kuromori...I suppose he must be warned as well. _She altered her wings slightly, gliding down the soft air currents. She landed carefully on the edge of the ancient coloseum ruins that made the domain. Testing the strength of the ancient ruins with her talons, she found a sturdy section of bricks to rest on. She looked up at the sky to try and warm her stressed body, but found no consolidation. The sun's rays had been completely blocked by the thick clouds of overcast above. Thin beams of light penetrated through thin sections of the grey sheet, but none provided the comfort Avion was seeking so dearly. She sighed in depression and gazed back into the domain. She started slightly as her eyes met those of a colossus resembling a lizard far below her. A thin yellow mist poored slowly from its gaping mouth.

"Can I help you?" a thick voice slithered from the beast's throat like a snake; the colossus' jaw moved not an inch.

"I've come to deliver a warning, I'm afraid." Avion said.

"Of the death of the colossi?" Kuromori said. A shiver slid down Avion's spine. "Yes yes, of course I know, I am not so thick."

"But...how do you..."

"How could I not? Those blasted disturbances have been keeping me from sleeping."

"And what do you suppose we do about this Wanderer in our lands?"

Kuromori grunted, spraying an amber dust into the air. "What can we do but sit and wait for our deaths?"

"What are you saying? Do you not wish for life?"

"I wish for life just as every other creature blessed with it does. That will not stop Dormin though. They will aid this Wanderer to us, and reveal our seals to him. Can you not sense it within you? We all know Dormin wishes for freedom, and ever since the first disturbance, their hopes have been on the rise. Dormin knows this could be their one chance for freedom, and they won't take this situation lightly. They will tell the Wanderer how to slay us, and the Wanderer will do their bidding. The Wanderer...the 'human,' as the lizards of my domain call him, is Dormin's puppet. And just as well, for we colossi were nothing more than puppets for the humans. I suppose Dormin is just trying to get revenge for all of us."

"But there must be another way besides death! Why should we colossi die so Dormin gains freedom?"

"There might be another way, but this is the only way Dormin sees fit. There is nothing we can do about the matter at hand besides sit back and accept our dire fate."

"We can retaliate, we can fight the Wanderer!"

A loud cackle erupted from deep within Kuromori. "Four have failed so far, I know the rest of us can not stop this impending doom. You may fight if you want, it is a hopeless endeavor!"

"No!" Avion screeched, causing the ancient ruins to rumble. Kuromori's limbs shook from the great force of the call. The great bird's eyes burned red with fury. "I will not accept this as a fact! The Wanderer will not destroy us, I shall see to it myself! I pray the Wanderer comes to my domain next, for when he does, I shall tear his body limb from limb! I shall make Dormin fear us colossi! I shall make sure no human has the courage to set a single foot into the valley ever again!" Avion immediately took flight, newfound strength fueling her wings. Below, Kuromori grunted loudly, shooting a yellow ball of mist from his mouth toward the walls of the ruins. It hit with great force, spreading a thick golden fog through the ancient untouched corridors. He curled up on the ground, resting his heavy head on the ground.

---

Cenobia's claws clacked loudly on the rough stone beneath him. It was difficult to see through the dense darkness; he had to rely on instinct and feel as best he could. occasionally he would hear the flutter of wings, and would feel something brush past his armor. He tried to determine what creatures these could be, but could not pinpoint a species from his memory. He slowly traced the sandy innards of the tunnel until he noticed slight reflections of light on the dull walls. The speckles of light eventually led him to a large sandy cave, sunlight pooring into the center and illuminating the entire cave.

Cenobia entered carefully, stumbling through the thick sand as he maneuvered around the large rocks protruding from the sea of sand. As the colossus softly walked along the sand, he felt a small tremble beneath his feet, the sand moving and churning ever so slightly. Cenobia paused and watched the sand as it settled and calmed back to stillness.

"Dirge...Dirge, is that you?" Cenobia asked cautiously.

The rumbling of the sand returned, the large head of a colossus emerging from the ground. Two large stone slabs slid open, revealing two crystal clear eyes. "Yes...it is I, Dirge. What brings you here to my fair domain, Cenobia? Is someone finally going to tell me what all these disturbances are?"

"So, you have felt them?"

"Yes, along with two strangers here in the valley. Could they be the cause of this?"

"I'm afraid so, one is known as the Wanderer, and the other is his steed, a large animal with black fur. The two of them have been traversing the valley," Cenobia paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts, "slaying the colossi."

A low grumble came from Dirge's throat. "So, it is as I feared. I assume Dormin are taking a part in this as well?"

Cenobia shook his head. "I am not sure. The Wanderer has been able to strike our seals. Dormin are the only ones who knows where they are."

"So we can guess that Dormin are behind all this. They must want their freedom from us."

"What can we do about it?"

"We're not going to simply sit by and let our destruction come. No, there must be a way we can take down this Wanderer."

"He has killed four of us so far, something none of us thought even possible."

"Yes, it is quite a feat...It seems as though this Wanderer is more powerful than the colossi."

"More powerful than us individually, you mean. If we can gather together, perhaps we can overpower him?"

"Perhaps...but that would draw Dormin's attention. They are a part of us all, but they can't tell our direct actions. All they can sense are the pieces of their spirit in each of us. As each draws closer together, the energy of their spirit grows, and they can sense that. When one or two of us colossi meet, it is not enough to alarm them, but if several of us were to gather together, the power would be so great that Dormin would surely know a plot was in order. Even worse, If the Wanderer begins breaking our seals, Dormin's energy will begin to gather into a physical form. They could even be reborn into a new Dormin, ripping the souls from our bodies during our own life. No, the risk is too great."

"Yes, I doubt we could gather many colossi together anyways. Even if Dormin did approve, Malus would surely put a stop to us." Cenobia said. He sighed to himself, trying to consider alternatives. "Is there no other way?"

"As I tunnel through the ground, I hear all the cries of the planet. The voices of all living creatures come to me through the soil. And yet, through all the knowledge bestowed upon me, I have found no sure weakness to the Wanderer. His species, the humans, have accomplished more than we colossi ever have. Yet, they contain little to no armor, yet contain extraordinarily strong weapons. After all, they were the ones to seal Dormin."

"So there is no hope?"

"Nay, there is hope, we just need to find it. Humans have hope, and can accomplish the impossible with their strong wills. All we colossi need to do, is find that hope for ourselves."

Cenobia rested himself in the sand, appretiating the soft bed. _Hope..._

---

Avion rested gently on a tall tower rising up above the large lake of her domain. The clouds completely shrouding the sun, casting her entire domain into darkness. She had calmed significantly since her talk with Kuromori, but was still on edge. The colossus shuffled her wings to try and find a comfortable position. Eventually she relaxed atop the perch, resting her eyes. The cool, damp air felt good to her, and she soon began to slip into a sound sleep.

Avion balanced on the edge of consciousness and sleep, enjoying the calmness of her domain. She then felt a small tap on one of the plates of her wing. She wasn't sure if she really felt it, or if she had thought it up. Maybe it was just an ich, or a piece of dust that had calmed itself under her plates. She first thought to ignore it, passing it off as nothing. An unknown instinct caused her to open her eyes and check the cause of the disturbance. Her vision hazed slightly as she fully awoke. She searched the stone towers that littered the lake of her domain for anything that could have been the source.

Then she saw him. Standing on a small platform was the Wanderer, stick and string in hand. The Wanderer launched another stick at the colossus, which merely reflected from her stone plates. In that instant, all the rage and fury returned to Avion; anger burning through her entire being. She launched from her tower, spreading her wings wide, catching the wind as she charged toward the Wanderer with no thought but to destroy him. She aimed her talons forward, hoping to catch the Wanderer in her tight grasp, lacerating the intruder with her sharp claws. Faster and faster she shot down toward the Wanderer, until she swooped over his fragile position. She immediately beat the air with all her might, attempting to gain as much height as possible before crashing into the lake. The smooth surface of the water thrashed with waves as the force of her wings ripped through the air. She soon ascended into the sky, already beggining to curve around for another dive at the Wanderer.

She looked around the platform for the Wanderer, spotting him climbing back up onto the small stone island. The Wanderer shook droplets of water from his leaves, then looked back up at Avion as she began to dive down at him again. He slung his stick over his body, then took out his shining stone. Avion violently shot over him again, this time risking to go even closer to the water's face. Her tail brushed along the surface of the water, slowing her charge as she flew over the Wanderer's platform. Once again, she struggled the gain height, but soon took to the sky. The wind ran through her plates and fur as she shot through the air. She curved around again, scanning the water for the Wanderer. She could not find him, however. Avion began to panic, thinking he had escaped her grasp. It soon dawned on her that she had taken him out. _Of course I can't find him, he is deep below the water, down in the depths of my domain!_ She cackled loudly with triumph, her caw echoing through the air. Then it happened; what she had secretly feared, but had denied to herself. A numbing pain shot up from the end of her tail all the way up to her skull. She screamed in pain as another blast shot up from the end of her tail. Her flying pattern faultered, and she began losing height. In a panic, she pulled her body up with all her strength. She twirled through the air in complex movements, hoping to shake the Wanderer off. She tried to feel his location on her body, but the fierce winds distracted her senses. Her tail slowly fell out of her consciousness as it lost its feeling entirely.

Another wave of pain splintered through Avion again, this time erupting from her wing. She screamed another blast of sound as she quickly fell toward the water below. Her vision clouded white with pain as another splint of pain stuck her wing. Her vision blurred with blindness as she sensed vertigo once more. Every nerve in her body rocked with excrutiating pain and fear as she felt her body fall. She scrambled in the air to try and find a pocket of wind to carry her along. She weakly flapped her wings, stuggling to keep the attacked wing under control. She slowly gained control of her flight, rising back into the air. She let out a sigh of relief; she knew if she fell to the water, she would be doomed.

A loud ringing sounded in her ears as a blast of pain shot from her good wing. Avion panicked, flapping and flailing anything she still had feeling of. Her tail, her talons, her body, and her wing were all dead now; all that remained was her mind and her one wing, which quickly began slipping from her cognition with every numbing blast of pain. A deafening crack sounded as her back slammed against the surface of the water, snapping her spine and many of her plates to shreds. She felt the unbelievable coldness of the water begin to engulf her body as she sunk slowly into the dark depths. Just before slipping entirely under the surface and into the blackness of death, Avion noticed a single thick ray of sunlight penetrate the clouds.

_Eleven Colossi Remain._


	6. Chapter 6: Barba: Part One

Chapter Six, Part One:

Barba roared loudly from his chamber as another ripple disturbed him. He paced back and forth impatiently, pondering what Cenobia had relayed to him. Strange voices inside of him urged him to calm down, but he remained restless. They attacked his mind, pulling his muscles into numbness, but he fought with all his might to resist. _What be dis feelin?Be dis Dormin? _As soon as the thought slipped across his mind, a blast of pain erupted from inside of him. Barba screamed in pain and shook his armor. He slammed his fists against the sanctum's walls, cracking the ancient stone. Pillars of dust fell from the ceiling on to Barba's head, and he froze. He focused his mind and calmed down completely. The voices screeching and paralyzing him were worse than ever, but he did not yield; he would not break under Dormin's influence.

"Dormin, ye slimy rats…Da Wandera not enuff fer yer biddin?" Barba muttered into the silence, his deep voice causing the ground to tremble. "Ye shall not sway me so…" He clenched his fists tightly, the sharp shards of his armor digging into his own flesh. Small seams of blackness trickled from the lacerations. "Try as ye mite, I be havin a stronger will den you must figgur." Barba smiled beneath his great beard as he felt the voices screech in pain and begin to fade away. "Yar…ye din't be espectin us colossi to want to fight, did'yer?" Dormin screamed and recoiled inside Barba's mind. Barba began to feel the strain on his muscles lighten, and the pain began to subside. "Ye be furgettin ev'ryun 'as a will to live. Ev'ryun is willin' t'fight fer their rite…their rite to live!" Dormin screamed in agony. "Their rite t'be free from scum such as yerself!" Dormintried with all their might to regain control over Barba's emotions, but could not even begin to grasp his consciousness. "You shall not be our downfall!"

And then there was silence.

Dormin had lost all grasps upon Barba. Barba had rid himself almost completely of Dormin; who had been reduced to a small shadow in the back of Barba's soul, unable to influence him in any way or form. Barba smiled to himself in peace at the newfound silence.

Thump.

_What be dat?!" _Barba spun around quickly, wondering what the small noise was. Then there was silence again. Barba waited and waited for what seemed like an eternity. He relaxed and loosened his muscles.

Thump.

Barba tensed again as the sound seemed nearer. Dormin began to dig their claws into his mind as fear crept into the back of his mind. Barba shook his head and regained his compasure.

Thump.

This time the noise was right above his chamber. He clenched his fists as he began to hear scratching running down the side of his doorway.

Thump.

This time the noise was on the ground just outside his gate. Barba loosened his hands and grabbed a handle along the gate, pulling it down. After only a small amount of force was applied, the gate began to descend on its own. As the dust cleared from the giant gate's movements, Barba smiled behind his great beard at the small figure standing before him.

"Why hello thar, Wandera."

---

Cenobia paced circles through Dirge's domain, working a small canyon in the thick sand. Dirge's eyes had slid shut as he slept soundly on the soft sand. Cenobia shot a dirty look at the colossus; anger filling him that Dirge could sleep at a time like this. A darkness pricked the back of his mind, but he ignored it. Cenobia opened his mandibles to shout at Dirge, when suddenly a ripple shook the air, waking Dirge immediately.

"Another has fallen?" Dirge said shaking his head as he regained consciousness.

Cenobia ground his teeth together in anger. "It seems that way…" He looked to Dirge. "We must put a stop to this! Have you not thought of any way to stop Dormin?"

Dirge shut his great eyes for a moment and thought to himself. "I have pondered it some…There are a handful of things we can do…"

"Such as?"

"We can remain in our domains, fighting the Wanderer as he comes, and hope we can live." Cenobia snorted with anger at Dirge's suggestion. "Yes, I feel the same way about that option. We can try confronting Dormin themselves, and risk being consumed entirely by them. Or we can ask the assistance of Malus."

"Malus?! Are you insane dirge?!" Cenobia was shocked Dirge even mentioned the idea. "He has been sealed away longer than any of us, he contains more of Dormin than any of us do! He would probably kill us on the spot simply to aid Dormin."

"Dormin does have the most influence over him, but they are beginning to have influence over us all. Can you not feel them clawing at your soul?"

Cenobia closed his eyes and concentrated on his own mind. Surely enough, he felt a slim darkness repressed deeply inside himself. "Yes… They're there."

"Malus can sense Dormin's increased activity more than any of us, and he should know their intentions quite well. He is also the only one of us with enough strength to take down Dormin." Dirge coughed quietly, pushing the strong influences of Dormin away.

"But even if he did agree to help us, it doesn't matter if we can't get to him. That great wall can only be unlocked by Dormin himself."

"Correct, but of course, Avion can fly over the wall…" Dirge grinned to himself behind his stone mask.

Cenobia's eyes lit up with enthusiasm. "You know, this just might be the answer we're looking for! We must find Avion!" He immediately spun around and dashed off towards the exit to the cave. Dirge closed his old eyes and smiled with happiness at the hope he had given Cenobia. Suddenly Dormin's influences exploded in his head. Dirge twitched with pain and opened his eyes to see Cenobia staning completely still, a small white figure on the ground in front of him.

Cenobia stared down in horror at the dove laying on the ground in front of him, The bird had flown itself into extreme exhaustion in an attempt to reach Cenobia as fast as it could. Cenobia bent down and nuzzled the small creature with his nose. "Are you alive little one?"

The dove opened her small eyes, using all her strength to weakly mutter a single phrase. "Avion…is dead."

Cenobia stood in disbelief for a moment. "Wh…what?" but the dove had already died. Cenobia stood there silently taking in the information. His body began to tremble slightly as his rage built up; the darkness in the back of his soul spreading.

"Cenobia! Fight Dormin!" Dirge called out to his friend, who was now violently shaking.

Cenobia turned his head to look at Dirge, his eyes bright crimson. He loud out an immense howl, shaking the entire cave.

"Quite a set of lungs on you, eh?" a slick voice slithered from the tunnel leading into the cave.

Cenobia dashed into the cave in pursuit of the voice, crushing the dove's body under his claws. "Who's there?! Who are you?! Stop hiding you coward!" He shouted with rage.

The figure of a colossus appeared on the ceiling as Kuromori crawled along the roof, coming into the light of Dirge's domain. "If you cry and act like that, Dormin is sure to win." He cackled from the roof.

Cenobia barked continuously at the colossus, jumping off the ground as swiping with his paws in a feeble attempt to strike Kuromori. Dirge simply shot the intruder a dirty look. "What is it you plague my domain with, Kuromori?"

The lizard bent his head in an odd direction to look Dirge in the eye. "I'm afraid I'm the bearer of good news, for you see…" Kuromori spun his head around to look at Cenobia, his gaze piercing Cenobia's rage, causing him to strangely calm down. "Barba has repelled the Wanderer."


	7. Chapter 6: Barba: Part Two

Chapter Six, Part Two:

Barba laughed heavily behind his thick brown beard as he chased the Wanderer. The small human scrambled over walls and pillars as he fled Barba, who crushed the walls with ease, toying with the Wanderer. The invader ran as fast as he could, looking up at Barba on occasion to try and read his movements. The colossus peered down at the Wanderer, and their eyes met. Barba could see the immense fear pulsating in the creature.

"Ahahaha! So dis be yer assassin, Dormin? Yeh'll need to try harder den dat if yeh want tah take me down!" Barba said to the darkness in the back of his head as he slung his fist down at the Wanderer, narrowly missing. The shockwave sent the boy flying through the air, causing him to roll along the hard, cracked stone floor. Barba grinned widely at his enemy, waiting for his next move…

But there was nothing. Barba stared in excitement at the Wanderer's body, expecting him to make a move. The human lay motionless on the cracked stone floor. Barba frowned in disappointment at the anticlimactic end to the fierce battle he anticipated. He rolled his dissatisfaction around in his mouth, and spat it into his beard. Barba turned around, dejectedly walking back to his enclosed room.

Sensing a small fracture of darkness, Barba turned around and looked at the Wanderer; who was now limping away towards a short staircase leading to a small chamber supported by several thick pillars. Barba grinned widely and dashed toward his hurt prey; stomping his hoof down into the ground, purposefully missing to watch the Wanderer stumble and fall onto the stairs. The human painfully crawled his way up the staircase using only his arms. Barba slammed his fist into the wall of his domain, watching the Wanderer stumble and scream as debris from his fist fell on his back. Barba threw his head back and laughed heartily, wiping tears of joy from his eyes.

"I shood thank yeh, Dormin, 'tis been years since I had so much fun!" Barba looked down at his victim, but he was nowhere to be found. Barba spun around a few times, looking for the boy. "'E can't 'ave gone too far, 'e be in no cundition tah run." Barba knelt down on one knee, sliding his hoof back behind him, throwing his weight on his other hoof. He bowed down, resting his hands on the ground as he observed inside the cavity the Wanderer fled to. Scanning side to side, his beard slid along the ground, disturbing the centuries of dust. Barba saw no sight of the small boy, and began to stand back up.

Suddenly the boy dashed from behind a pillar, gripping tightly onto the great beast's beard as the colossus stood up to his full height. Scowling in fury, Barba shook his great beard and clawed at the Wanderer as the small human climbed up his thick hair. The Wanderer skillfully worked his way up to Barba's head, quickly digging his weapon deep into Barba's skull. The colossus screamed out in pain, shaking his head back and forth. The beast's beard whipped around, knocking the Wanderer from his pearch atop Barba's head. The tiny creature fell onto the ground, cushioning his fall using his arms and legs. After a moment Barba realized his foe was no longer atop his skull, and soon found the boy running back toward the pillared room. In a rage, Barba slammed his fist down in an attempt to crush the Wanderer. The human leapt out of the way, narrowly dodging the blow. He then quickly turned around, latching onto the hair along the back of his hand. Flapping his hand around wildly in an attempt to rid himself of the Wanderer, Barba threw all of his weight into a single twist, flinging the Wanderer onto the balcony near the roof of his Domain. Barba walked the length of his Domain toward the Wanderer, who clumsily stood up. Their eyes met again, and the Wanderer ran from the beast, fleeing out of the entrance to Barba's domain.

Then there was silence. The Wanderer's footsteps faded away into nothing, leaving Barba panting to himself.

---

"And that is what happened." Kuromori said, finishing his tale of Barba's survival.

"That's it? What happened to the Wanderer? Where is he?" Cenobia said, his voice trembling.

"I am not sure. All I know is that I have sensed the deaths of many lizards here in the valley. Why he may be hunting them, I am not sure."

"And how do you know all of this? How do we know you're not lying?" Cenobia bared his fangs accusingly.

"Because, I was there watching the scene the entire time. In case you have forgotten, I can climb the walls and hide in the shadows. Neither knew I was there throughout the fight."

"You were there? Why did you not help Barba? What happened to the Wanderer? Why did you not pursue him?" Cenobia's rage was building as his patience with the lizard colossus was wearing thin.

"Barba needed no help, and the Wanderer fled. I tried following, but his steed is far too fast for me. It could probably outrun even you, Cenobia." Kuromori was pleased with Cenobia's anger. He noticed Cenobia's claws pawing the ground in anticipation. "You know, Cenobia, instead of wasting your anger on me…why not spend it on something worthwhile…say, helping Barba fend himself once the Wanderer returns?" The idea quickly flooded Cenobia's mind, and he thought of nothing else. With all his strength, the colossus dashed out of the south end of the cave.

"Cenobia, wait!" Dirge shouted, but his words were unheard by the beast's ears. As the loud thumps of Cenobia's footsteps faded away, Kuromori turned and grinned his square grin at Dirge. "What are you playing at, Kuromori? Why did you really refrain from helping Barba?"

Kuromori cackled behind his mask. "Isn't it obvious? Dormin have immense expectations for the Wanderer. I was very curious why they would put all their faith in freedom into such a small package. I was simply watching what this Wanderer is made of, why Dormin expect us to fear him."

"And? Could you find anything?"

"But of course. After simply watching the one fight, I have realized why Dormin have hired this being… It is the sharpened stone he holds. Dormin haven't been showing him our sigils, the stone has. One blow nearly brought Barba to his knees."

Dirge chuckled softly. "You made it sound as though the stone barely scratched Barba. Why would you give Cenobia such false hope?"

"Oh, so now hope is a bad thing is it? I overheard your conversation earlier, Dirge. Hope really is the key, and I believe I have just given Cenobia his hope." Kuromori coughed to himself, then crawled out of the cave in Cenobia's wake.

---

Cenobia stalked quietly through the sand, eyeing the strange black creature nibbling on plants outside of Barba's Domain. _So, that must be the Wanderer's steed. Wait! If that's his steed, then that must mean…_ Cenobia gasped in horror at his realization, dashing off at full speed into Barba's Domain. The black steed let out a loud neigh and ran off, its long hair flowing behind it. Cenobia's claws clacked loudly on the stone as the colossus ran full speed through the thin corridor. He skidded to a halt at the edge of the drop-off, looking down in terror as the Wanderer dug his stone deep into Barba's back. Barba screamed in pain, collapsing on the ground. Darkness began engulfing Barba, as Dormins' essence shot itself into the Wanderer, who then lay motionless on the floor. Cenobia was speechless; his breath had escaped him entirely. He tried screaming, but no sound escaped his throat. All he could was watch in agony as Barba was engulfed entirely in darkness, to be replaced with nothing but filth.

_Ten colossi remain._


End file.
